Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program Oral History Project

In 1987, Hillsborough County voters approved a referendum and property tax to implement the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program (ELAPP). It was subsequently reauthorized in 1990 and 2008, each time with sizeable majorities. Similar to and often in partnership with state-funded programs such as Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever, ELAPP has protected over 61,000 acres of rare and important habitat in Hillsborough County. In 2014, the program was officially renamed the “Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program,” for the former county commissioner (1978-2002) and lifelong advocate for environmental protection. The ELAPP history project was funded by a generous donation from Gus Muench.